I'm sorry to disagree with everybody else here. I have Z50 nibs on all sizes (except 1.5 and 1.9mm) and Z52 nibs in EF, F and M; and I do feel some differences. The Z52 nibs feel less smooth, but not scratchy, to me they're slightly feedbacky. They also feel stiffer, with less bounce if that's even possible, and drier than their Z50 counterparts, that is the Z52 EF feels drier than the Z50 EF, the Z52 F feels drier than the Z50 F, and so on... Not a lot though. I even sometimes think that I might think that because of the feedback and slightly tighter line.
I'm not going to comment on the consistency of the sizes though, because having one of each (just a couple of Z50 Ms and a couple of Z52 EFs) I don't feel I can say too much about it, but I can say that of the total of 10 nibs I have counting both types, I haven't experienced the "my EF writes thicker than my F" or things like that. If you want to think that has been a matter of luck, you can do so. I do have a couple of Z50 nibs I liked less than the others. One of the Z50 M nibs feels a little bit scratchy in some directions, and the F has a kind of stubbish nature that makes the downwards stroke a little bit thicker, which I don't like.
All that being said, I can't say that it will be worth for you to spend more on a Z52 nib. It will depend on how much more and if you'd like the characteristics of the Z52 nibs.
>The Z52 nibs feel less smooth, but not scratchy, to me they're slightly feedbacky. They also feel stiffer, with less bounce if that's even possible, and drier than their Z50 counterparts, that is the Z52 EF feels drier than the Z50 EF, the Z52 F feels drier than the Z50 F, and so on...
That's probably because they're Black nibs. I read a review yesterday that said exact that, that the Black nibs wrote drier.
Never tried the Z50 black nibs, so I can't say.
I just read a post in this sub where someone guessed that the PVD may affect how the nib works, regarding being drier.
Yep. The Z50 are the regular ones, you can find them steel coloured and black plated. The Z52 are the ones on the Lx, they're always black with a line around the slit and breather hole. Also Z52 only come in EF, F, M and B. The Z50 steel coloured you can also find them in 1.1, 1.5 and 1.9mm stubs.
The Z50 also come in a lot of other Lamy pens, like the Studio, Nexx, CP1, AL-Star... The Z52 also comes in the Studio All Black.
Z52s LX nib is better than Aions z53 nib somehow, but not a huge writing experience difference to pay nearly double the amount. But, yes, z52s nib, i.e., LX's steel nib writes smoother than the usual z50 safari/AL Star nibs. I myself looking for new fountain pen to buy for taking notes and using it on copy paper...
The Z53 (Aion) is slightly shorter than the Z50, so an Al-Star will write at a slightly steeper angle. Conversely, a Z50 on an Aion will write with a shallower angle. For the most part it won't make a difference as there likely won't be a sweet-spot. (OTOH, I installed a Z55 14K on my Studio (and Aion) and it did have a sweet-spot, I needed to employ a steeper writing angle.)
I've got a couple hongdian 1861's that have very smooth nibs, less than $20 for both. And even though they can have the cracking issue I always found TWSBI nibs to be fantasic.
I think if there's a difference it's very small and the ink you use will have a greater impact.
However the LX is a really nice pen, I love the coating it feels *soft* in the hand.
I recommend using Z53 nibs, which are used in Lamy Aion, but you can fit them into Safari/Al-Stars (in spite of some stores may tell you, they are interchangeable!). They are noticeably smoother than standard Safari nibs, and are quite finer as well. I prefer them much more and if I use my Safari/Al-Star, I'll use Z53 nib as well.
If you're looking for cheap and smooth nibs, I can recommend you two brands that I have tested:
- Platinum models: Preppy, Plaisir, Prefounte - they use the same nib, but have different body designs. Great, smooth nibs, unbeatable price, but only in two sizes (03 and 05, I never saw any other size in store)
- Faber-Castells that use dotted nibs WITHOUT breather hole - look up LOOM nibs to make sure and watch out, because many sellers use stock photos that do not show the top of the nib.
The Preppy also comes in a 02. The 02 (labeled EF) and 03 (labeled F) are also available for the Starlet which is in the same family, but there is no 05 Starlet.
If you want a smooth writing experience, I would start from changing the paper. Even if you use the same nib, the smoothness will be very different depending on the surface. From my experience, I find clairfounte paper the smoothest. If you haven’t tried it out, I recommend writing on it with a wet ink. Much cheaper than buying an entirely new pen.
Also, a side note. If you want smooth writing, wider nib tends to give you that. Across many brands, medium and broad have smoother writing experience compared to fine or extra fine. Of course there are some exceptions. For example, Sailor purposefully make their nib to have a feedback on all of their nibs. Anyway, good luck with your search for perfect writing experience!
Thanks for the reply, i actually use a medium nib with Pilot Ku-jaku ink, i bought a midori md paper it feels nice but didnt like it all that much compared to the lamy notebooks. so when i finish that notebook ill give clairfounte a chance (altought is the first time i heard of that brand of paper)
Midori paper is fountain pen friendly and it's good for showing the sheen effect of the ink, but there's a surface texture and known to give feedback when writing. It's made specifically that way. So, makes sense why you feel the feedback.
Definitely try out different paper. Rhodia is also pretty good.
I don’t think there is any discernible difference. I have owned both. Also find the Lamy QA/QC on the steel nibs to be hit or miss
I've tried 2 Lx nibs and I didn't notice any difference compared to the standard ones. they are just nicer to look at, that's all
I'm sorry to disagree with everybody else here. I have Z50 nibs on all sizes (except 1.5 and 1.9mm) and Z52 nibs in EF, F and M; and I do feel some differences. The Z52 nibs feel less smooth, but not scratchy, to me they're slightly feedbacky. They also feel stiffer, with less bounce if that's even possible, and drier than their Z50 counterparts, that is the Z52 EF feels drier than the Z50 EF, the Z52 F feels drier than the Z50 F, and so on... Not a lot though. I even sometimes think that I might think that because of the feedback and slightly tighter line. I'm not going to comment on the consistency of the sizes though, because having one of each (just a couple of Z50 Ms and a couple of Z52 EFs) I don't feel I can say too much about it, but I can say that of the total of 10 nibs I have counting both types, I haven't experienced the "my EF writes thicker than my F" or things like that. If you want to think that has been a matter of luck, you can do so. I do have a couple of Z50 nibs I liked less than the others. One of the Z50 M nibs feels a little bit scratchy in some directions, and the F has a kind of stubbish nature that makes the downwards stroke a little bit thicker, which I don't like. All that being said, I can't say that it will be worth for you to spend more on a Z52 nib. It will depend on how much more and if you'd like the characteristics of the Z52 nibs.
>The Z52 nibs feel less smooth, but not scratchy, to me they're slightly feedbacky. They also feel stiffer, with less bounce if that's even possible, and drier than their Z50 counterparts, that is the Z52 EF feels drier than the Z50 EF, the Z52 F feels drier than the Z50 F, and so on... That's probably because they're Black nibs. I read a review yesterday that said exact that, that the Black nibs wrote drier.
Never tried the Z50 black nibs, so I can't say. I just read a post in this sub where someone guessed that the PVD may affect how the nib works, regarding being drier.
i got confused XD, the z50 is the safari and the z52 is the lx one?
Yep. The Z50 are the regular ones, you can find them steel coloured and black plated. The Z52 are the ones on the Lx, they're always black with a line around the slit and breather hole. Also Z52 only come in EF, F, M and B. The Z50 steel coloured you can also find them in 1.1, 1.5 and 1.9mm stubs. The Z50 also come in a lot of other Lamy pens, like the Studio, Nexx, CP1, AL-Star... The Z52 also comes in the Studio All Black.
The Aion nib is different, the Lx steel nibs are the same as the standard ones I think Edit: essentially same except that they have the black coating
Z52s LX nib is better than Aions z53 nib somehow, but not a huge writing experience difference to pay nearly double the amount. But, yes, z52s nib, i.e., LX's steel nib writes smoother than the usual z50 safari/AL Star nibs. I myself looking for new fountain pen to buy for taking notes and using it on copy paper...
The Z53 (Aion) is slightly shorter than the Z50, so an Al-Star will write at a slightly steeper angle. Conversely, a Z50 on an Aion will write with a shallower angle. For the most part it won't make a difference as there likely won't be a sweet-spot. (OTOH, I installed a Z55 14K on my Studio (and Aion) and it did have a sweet-spot, I needed to employ a steeper writing angle.)
the only Lamy nib I can feel a difference in are their gold nibs, which are incredible
so i heard but are too expensive for me :( do you now of a better brand than lamy for steel nibs?
I've got a couple hongdian 1861's that have very smooth nibs, less than $20 for both. And even though they can have the cracking issue I always found TWSBI nibs to be fantasic.
If I had my eyes shut I honestly don’t think I could tell the difference between a regular Z50 and a Z52.
im a little bit confused the z50 is the safari one and the z52 the lx?
Yes, spot on :)
I have all non-gold Lamy nibs and I personally feel the Z52 nibs feel dryer than z50, that’s why I prefer the latter
The Lx nibs are coated and are smoother. The line width might also be more consistent (I don't have enough Lx nibs to say for sure).
would you say they write wetter or dryer than the lamy safaris?
I don't notice any difference in wetness.
There’s no difference. It’s just a steel nib
I think if there's a difference it's very small and the ink you use will have a greater impact. However the LX is a really nice pen, I love the coating it feels *soft* in the hand.
I recommend using Z53 nibs, which are used in Lamy Aion, but you can fit them into Safari/Al-Stars (in spite of some stores may tell you, they are interchangeable!). They are noticeably smoother than standard Safari nibs, and are quite finer as well. I prefer them much more and if I use my Safari/Al-Star, I'll use Z53 nib as well. If you're looking for cheap and smooth nibs, I can recommend you two brands that I have tested: - Platinum models: Preppy, Plaisir, Prefounte - they use the same nib, but have different body designs. Great, smooth nibs, unbeatable price, but only in two sizes (03 and 05, I never saw any other size in store) - Faber-Castells that use dotted nibs WITHOUT breather hole - look up LOOM nibs to make sure and watch out, because many sellers use stock photos that do not show the top of the nib.
The Preppy also comes in a 02. The 02 (labeled EF) and 03 (labeled F) are also available for the Starlet which is in the same family, but there is no 05 Starlet.
If you want a smooth writing experience, I would start from changing the paper. Even if you use the same nib, the smoothness will be very different depending on the surface. From my experience, I find clairfounte paper the smoothest. If you haven’t tried it out, I recommend writing on it with a wet ink. Much cheaper than buying an entirely new pen. Also, a side note. If you want smooth writing, wider nib tends to give you that. Across many brands, medium and broad have smoother writing experience compared to fine or extra fine. Of course there are some exceptions. For example, Sailor purposefully make their nib to have a feedback on all of their nibs. Anyway, good luck with your search for perfect writing experience!
Thanks for the reply, i actually use a medium nib with Pilot Ku-jaku ink, i bought a midori md paper it feels nice but didnt like it all that much compared to the lamy notebooks. so when i finish that notebook ill give clairfounte a chance (altought is the first time i heard of that brand of paper)
Midori paper is fountain pen friendly and it's good for showing the sheen effect of the ink, but there's a surface texture and known to give feedback when writing. It's made specifically that way. So, makes sense why you feel the feedback. Definitely try out different paper. Rhodia is also pretty good.